New booklet advises transplant candidates seeking a living donor

A new booklet, developed by the OPTN/UNOS Living Donor Transplantation Committee, advises transplant candidates on seeking a potential living donor. The booklet outlines the living donation process and suggests strategies and resources for transplant candidates or family members to consider.

The booklet draws from research the Living Donor Transplantation Committee reviewed on effective strategies various transplant programs and advocacy organizations have employed to support candidates and potential living donors through the evaluation and consent process.

This new resource supplements a number of living donation educational and guidance materials available, including a summary written for a lay audience of the informed consent policy for potential living donors available in English and Spanish. Centers can give these easy-to-understand summaries of informed consent policy to individuals who are interested in becoming living donors but may find the policy language about what is required difficult to understand. The committee is currently working on similar easy-to-understand summaries of policy related to psychosocial evaluation requirements and medical evaluation requirements.

Other helpful resources include an informational brochure for people considering becoming living donors and a living donor informed consent policy checklist for transplant programs.